Marshalling and Embarkation Area 'D'
sub area 'X' No.D-4 Came House, Dorset.

Page updated: April 30, 2023

Camp D-4 Came House

image

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

Troops moved from their base locations, sometimes via intermediate training camps to D-Day Marshalling Areas. Where they were broken down into ship loads and moved at the appropriate time to Embarkation Areas. There were 22 Marshalling Areas, known by letters, plus the clusters of airfields where the airborne troops departed from. (Words by Chris Barrington Brown, a link added to his website below).
This is Camp D4 in sub area X.

image

Red - the camp.
Black - the vehicle park.

image

 

image

 

Camp D-4 Came House

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

 

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

The plan of Area D Overlord administrative map 1 May 1944. TOP SECRET NOT TO BE REPRODUCED.

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

The massive build up to D-Day started in 1942 and by early 1944, special camps were being prepared to receive the assault troops. They were brought into these camps after a punishing training regime of practice landings, blowing up bunkers & cutting barbed wire, mine clearance, loading and unloading from assault boats, etc, etc. Here they could be concentrated and basically have a short holiday, where they were well fed and watered behind a strict barbed wire entanglement. Then told what was about to happen. French money was handed out and all equipment repaired, replaced and new items added. Around June 4th 1944 they had been shipped out and taken to their embarkation ports and loaded on assault ships. They set sail for D-Day on the early morning of 4th of June. Except that after most ships had sailed, the weather was so bad that they were recalled and brought back to harbour. Then the orders were re given and they set sail on the evening of the 5th to arrive in the early hours of the 6th. Most units leaving Dorset were to head for Omaha beach in Normandy.

 

 

 

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

Area X covering D7 Dorchester and D4 Came House.
D7 3,300 men, 480 vehicles.
D4 2,900 men, 410 vehicles.
EMS - Field Hospital.
RS 19 - Reception Station.
QM 134 - Quarter Master.
ENGR BR dp - Engineer Dump.
QM dp - Quarter Master Distributing Point.
QM BKY - Quarter Master Bakery.
PX dp - Post Exchange Dump.
Wading Pit - to test waterproofing on vehicles.
Petrol Pt - Petrol Oil & Lubricant Point.
Petrol dp - Petrol Oil & Lubricant dump.
RP 43 - Recovery Post (vehicle).
TP 3 - Traffic Post.
ENGR BR dp - Engineer Bridging Depot.

image

Marshalling HQ.
Sub-Area HQ.

image

Area of camp.

image

One way route.
One way operational - two way ADM & civil.
Two way.

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

A map of Came Park estate with the A352 from Dorchester. Take the first right between white gates and a near a small gate house. Not signposted. Starting at P parking safely here and then it makes a good walk around. The first Yellow circle is what looks like a junction box for communication. We have no idea what it was for and the only reason for placing it here is that D-3 Yellowham Wood also has the same style of box. Yellow square is an Auxiliary Unit Hide built around 1939/40 more of that later. Red square the D camp.

High level planning.

Low level planning.

 

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

Came is an enchanting Palladian Country House and private estate built in 1754 in the heart of Thomas Hardy's Dorset. Designed in the mid 18th century by Francis Cartwright, a provincial architect, for John Damer.
John Damer (27 October 1720 – 1783) was an English country landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons  from 1762 to 1780.

image

John Damer an English land owner and politician.

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

Where to park. The house is behind me and follow the arrows around the woods.

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

I have no idea again what this was it could have been relevant to : -
A: The Auxiliary Hide 1939/40?
B: D-4 camp 1944.
It is made of brick which has been re used from an old house and screw picket posts and square steel mesh were used to reinforce the roof. It is too small for an air raid shelter or a gun position???

image

X on the plan.

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

This is a Cable Box (?). A second box was found at D-3 Camp at Yellowham Wood, the cable was covered in thick insulation which has now disintegrated. The box is a heavy steel/iron casting.
Black: Box.
Red: The cable.

image

D-3 Camp at Yellowham Wood.

image

X on the plan.

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

Dorchester (Came House) Patrol.
Next we come to Came Park Hideout, its an Auxiliary Unit Hide. Before war was declared the British Government ordered a Resistance Movement to be raised. The men that were asked to join the 'Special Duties Section', were Game Keepers, Farm Laborers, men who if they went to ground would not be missed in there local area. The Royal Engineers built hides all over the country in very secret locations. By the end Of 1940 about 300 hides were already in use around the country.

The bunkers or hideouts used by the Auxiliary Units were officially known as 'Operational Bases' ('OB'). The word 'hideout', the officers who ran the Resistance soon decided, suggested a more passive purpose than that for which these bases had been constructed, and if overheard by the Germans or their friends, would not alert them to their intended use.

Auxiliary Units hideouts were supposed to be merely the places to which Resistance men could withdraw to eat, sleep and lie low. The picture shows the similar collapsed Elephant shelter. There were about 14 members of the patrol

image

Auxiliary Units hide.

image

Plan.

image

Members of another patrol.

image

Plan.

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

Continue along the track through the woods

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

This is where the hut bases are. They were probably Quonset/Nissen huts.

image

Quonset hutting.

image

Plan.

image

 

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

Remains of corrugated iron shape in the foundations.

image

Quonset hutting.

image

 

image

 

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

There is also quite a lot of drainage as well.

image

 

image

 

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

More drainage.

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

These huts are more concrete block construction, possibly like the huts that were at Kingston Lacy US hospital.

image

They may have looked like this. Isolation ward at Kingston Lacy, Wimborne. Part of an American General Hospital.

Camp D-4 Came House

imageimage
31 January 2005                                                                                                             01 February 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

A D shape with brick foundations, its straight side is 30ft. Any ideas????????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

e D3 Camp at Yellowham Wood has this shaped structure.

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

Remains of a Quonset/Nissen hut rib.

image

Quonset hut.

Hoops of a Nissen hut.

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

Looking back at the woodland where the camp was situated and very well camouflaged below a thick covering of treas.

 

 

Camp D-4 Came House

imageimage
WO 199-2414

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

WO 199-2414 Aerial Photos of Camps - Feb-May 1944.
The Allies took air reconnaissance photos of the camps to train their pilots, but also to see how well they were camouflaged. I like the caption (Nearly).

 

 

Camp D-4 Came House

image

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

Chow time behind the wire.

 

 

 

Camp D-4 Came House

imageimage
Signal Corps image 326287

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

Camouflaged vehicles set in woodland and ready to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have just found this second image of the same tree and camouflaged vehicle with soldiers playing cards on a trailer.

Camp D-4 Came House

imageimage
Signals Corps                                                                                                                WO 199-1402 D-Day Marshalling Areas - maps’

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details

This is possibly the destination of members of the US Army that were passed through D-4, Portland EAD8 loading hard. Or EAD7 Weymouth.

Biuld up to D-Day by Chris Barrington Brown.

 

Camp D-4 Came House

image
31 January 2005

Information

Camp D-4 Came House

Details